suspend

verb

sus·pend | \ sə-ˈspend

suspended; suspending; suspends

Definition of suspend

transitive verb

1 : to debar temporarily especially from a privilege, office, or function suspend a student from school

2a : to cause to stop temporarily suspend bus service

b : to set aside or make temporarily inoperative suspend the rules

3 : to defer to a later time on specified conditions suspend sentence

4 : to hold in an undetermined or undecided state awaiting further information suspend judgment suspend disbelief

5a : hang especially : to hang so as to be free on all sides except at the point of support suspend a ball by a thread

b : to keep from falling or sinking by some invisible support (such as buoyancy) dust suspended in the air

c : to put or hold in suspension suspended sediment

6a : to keep fixed or lost (as in wonder or contemplation)

b : to keep waiting in suspense or indecision

7 : to hold (a musical note) over into the following chord

intransitive verb

1 : to cease operation temporarily

2 : to stop payment or fail to meet obligations

3 : hang

Synonyms Choose the Right Synonym Did You Know? More Example Sentences Learn More about suspend

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Choose the Right Synonym for suspend

defer, postpone, suspend, stay mean to delay an action or proceeding. defer implies a deliberate putting off to a later time. deferred buying a car until spring postpone implies an intentional deferring usually to a definite time. the game is postponed until Saturday suspend implies temporary stoppage with an added suggestion of waiting until some condition is satisfied. business will be suspended while repairs are underway stay often suggests the stopping or checking by an intervening agency or authority. the governor stayed the execution

Did You Know?

When something is suspended, it is "left hanging;" it is neither in full operation nor permanently ended. Suspense is a state of uncertainty and maybe anxiety. When we watch a play or movie, we enjoy experiencing a "suspension of disbelief;" that is, we allow ourselves to believe we're watching reality, even though we aren't truly fooled.Suspension can also mean physical hanging; thus, in a suspension bridge, the roadway actually hangs from huge cables. When some substance is "in suspension", its particles are "hanging" in another substance, mixed into it but not actually dissolved, like fine sand in water, or sea spray in the air at the seashore.

Examples of suspend in a Sentence

He was suspended from the team for missing too many practices. The police officers were suspended without pay for their conduct. The principal suspended the student from school for fighting. The city suspended bus service during the storm. The company was forced to suspend operations. They have suspended the peace talks. I advise suspending judgment until the investigation is over. Her license to practice law was suspended. We can suspend the rules just this once. He's driving with a suspended license.

Recent Examples on the Web

In that murk of uncertainty, Boeing and many of its airline customers will want the regulator to wait for substantial evidence to emerge before taking the drastic step of suspending flights. — Washington Post, "Fate of 737 Max Could Turn On a Single Trump Tweet," 18 Sep. 2019 The law does allow judges the discretion of handing down, say, life with all but 30 years suspended. — Tim Prudente, baltimoresun.com, "Prison terms for killing of Baltimore County Police Officer Amy Caprio draw attention to felony murder rule," 17 Sep. 2019 Wolmer was ahead 2–1 when play was suspended after the lightning strike. — Jenna West, SI.com, "Three Jamaican Soccer Players Sent to Hospital After Lightning Strikes Field," 17 Sep. 2019 He was arrested by Brantley County authorities on charges of driving with a suspended/revoked license, weaving over a roadway and being a fugitive of justice. — Eric Levenson, CNN, "Florida mother and 4 children were missing for weeks. Then a bystander smelled something horrible.," 17 Sep. 2019 UVA last week suspended roughly a dozen patient lawsuits, KHN reported. — Megan Cerullo, CBS News, "Hospitals are some of America's toughest debt collectors," 17 Sep. 2019 Aramco, the world’s largest oil company, was forced to suspend production of almost six million barrels per day, more than half of Saudi daily oil output. — Robin Wright, The New Yorker, "In Saudi Arabia, World Oil Supplies Are in Flames," 16 Sep. 2019 China will suspend tariff hikes on soybeans, pork and some other farm goods, the Xinhua News Agency said, citing the Cabinet planning agency and the Commerce Ministry. — Joe Mcdonald, chicagotribune.com, "China will suspend tariff hikes on soybeans, pork, other U.S. farm goods," 13 Sep. 2019 Days after more than a million people took to the streets in early June, kicking off the protests, Lam suspended an extradition bill that sparked the unrest but refused to formally withdraw it. — Washington Post, "Lam says PR firms declined to help restore Hong Kong’s image," 18 Sep. 2019

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'suspend.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.